A High Desert Garden

[John P Weiser]

Well the first day of summer has come and gone. It hit 90F and we will be very warm for the rest of the week. The cacti are loving it.
Here are a few in bloom.
Escobaria guadalupensis (syn. E. orcuttii )

Escobaria sneedii var. sneedii

Echenocereus fendleri var. kuenzleri

Sclerocactus wetlandicus

Sclerocactus pubispinus

Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha (syn. rhodantha)

Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris


Some times digital cameras cause vibrant colors to over saturate a photo. This can be distracting at times but there are exceptions that I find intriguing. Here are a few that show "The Fire Within!!
Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris

Opuntia polyacantha var. polyacantha (syn. rhodantha)

Opuntia polyacantha var. erinacea/ursina

[iann]

Summer has come to the high country

[John P Weiser]

Hi iann.
Thought I'd post a few non cacti shots as well.
Penstemon eatonii

Yucca harrimaniae var. gilbertiana

Phacelia linearis and Eriogonum strictum var. anserinum

Sphaeralcea fendleri

And a hand full of Delospermas for added sparkle!!

[Andy_CT]

Wow, all the colors made me dizzy!

[John P Weiser]

Wow, all the colors made me dizzy!

Andy
Maybe you should set down in the shade catch your breath and consume a cold beverage. Your favorite brand of course. At ninty degrees I'll be tipping one myself.

[Andy_CT]

Yours is one garden I wouldn't want to get dizzy and fall into

[peterb]

Just spectacular as always! Love the Sclero wetlandicus and pubispinus. Wonderful!

peterb

[daiv]

Great stuff as always John. Hope you send some of that warm weather our way. We are wet and cold here - more like April!

[iann]

How much do you water those Delospermas? Mine in the garden can just about survive on their own but that is with several inches a month of rain.

[John P Weiser]

How much do you water those Delospermas? Mine in the garden can just about survive on their own but that is with several inches a month of rain.

Iann
I have them on drip irrigation so It's hard to figure inches of rain in the standard sense. I have 1/2 GPH (1.89 LPH) drip emitters, spaced about 18 inches(45cm)apart. Each week during the summer I run them 4 times a week with a duration of 9 minutes each session.
A drip emitter can supply plants with moisture for up to a foot away as long as their roots are fully established.
I have to think about the water holding capacities and drainage profiles of the substrates I must deal with, before settling on emitter size, spacing, or scheduled operational times. The courser more well drained the substrate the less moisture will spread horizontally.

[iann]

Sounds tricky. I know most Delospermas have deep roots and are drought tolerant once established (in England!) even though they thrive on just about as much water as they can get. I imagine they are finding a little water even when it seems very dry to me. A few species don't seem to have the deep roots and they are very thirsty.

[John P Weiser]

Sounds tricky.

It does take getting used too. I just measure my water usage by the $ amount listed on the bill, at the end of the month.

[Ken Shaw]

Yours is one garden I wouldn't want to get dizzy and fall into

So Andy, there are limits to your opuntophilia?

But seriously, this is a terrific garden!